Unbroken Vow
by lovelikealoha
Summary: Chapter 5 UPDATED! A Silver Millennium story. Can the two princesses overcome their differences and get along? All promises are meant to be kept...
1. Chapter 1

Uranus stood in front of a tall mirror in her chamber, trying to fix her indigo tunic to look presentable. She fastened the leather knee-high boots, and buckled her belt along with her sword. She was making an attempt to tie her platinum-golden hair with a string, when she heard the knock on the door.

"The door's open." Upon the opening of the mahogany door, it revealed a young man, who was almost a carbon-copy of Uranus, except for his height and the hair length. He welcomed himself inside the chamber, clad in a dark green military suit, which complemented his eyes.

"You should learn to ask who it is before you let them in," his voice ran throughout the room. Uranus continued to ignore him, as she threw the string down on the floor frustratingly.

"I knew it was going to be you anyways Oberon: I know what your footsteps sound like," Uranus lazily picked the string off the floor, attempting again to tie her tousled hair, which fell slightly beneath her shoulder blades. "Help me, will you?"

Oberon, walked over to his younger sister, taking a brush from the side table. He neatly combed her hair into one, and tied it tightly with a string, Uranus handed to him. "Why don't you cut it if you are acting like you are going to pull them out every time?"

"Mind your own business…I like it how the wind goes through my hair when I run. Besides, it's the only way the people can tell the difference between you and I."

"Then wear dresses or something," Oberon patted his sister on the back.

"You know I don't wear those frilly dresses mother wants me to wear," Uranus headed out to the door, followed by Oberon. "Why don't you wear a dress for a change?" They both erupted into laughter as they glided throughout the hallway, and out to the gate. "Oberon, remind me, what are we doing today?"

"Uranus, do you ever listen to what your family has to say?" Oberon looked over to his sister despairingly, who shook her head carelessly. "Alright, my fiancée and her brother is coming today. Does that ring a bell?"

Uranus stopped and thought for a moment, going over her little memories that she had of the last few days. "Oh, I think so." She thought her brother told something about marriage, but never bothered. She was only 20, and did not bother to find a husband anytime soon, nor in the future. She found men to be too…boring. No men in the solar system could keep up with her, with some exceptions, on whatever she did—whether it be sword fighting or racing. They did keep good company: most, if not all, of Uranus's friends were men. However, many were too incompetent.

"I personally wanted you to meet my fiancée. She's three years younger than you. I thought it would make her feel better to have someone near her age close. Plus, you are going to be her sister-in-law, so…" Oberon was cut off by Uranus.

"Don't expect me to get along with girls!! I'm sure she won't like me anyways, since I don't wear pretty dresses like them…" it was Oberon's turn to cut off.

"Uranus, she's a respectable princess of her planet, just like you are. I'm sure you would like her, and she might have some good influence on you too." Uranus just stood there unhappily crossing her arms. "She'll be staying at our planet so we could plan our wedding. She's charming. Just make sure you don't steal her away from me!" Oberon winked, and then dashed out of the castle to the gate, where they were supposed to pick the guests up.

"What? Hey, wait for me!"

It wasn't long before Uranus and Oberon reached to the gate, just in time to see a large carriage flown by two Pegasus a mile or so away.

"So, what's her name? You've never told me much about her." Uranus asked her brother, who was smiling more as the carriage came closer.

"Princess Neptune. She's Proteus's younger sister: you remember Proteus, from Kaiousei?" Uranus did remember Proteus, when Oberon and she went to Kaiousei for a joint military training at the Triton Castle. She remembered how on the first day she met Proteus two years ago—his sapphire blue eyes and the seemingly odd hair color, along with his pale skin; too pale for men, in her opinion. He had similar stature as Oberon—tall and lean—yet he was somewhat more delicate. However, his swordsmanship amazed Uranus, as well as Oberon during the training. Proteus became one of the few men Uranus had come to like, and one of the exceptions.

"How come you've never told me that Proteus had a sister? I don't recall seeing her. And how come you know her?"

"I did tell you, dear sister, but it seems like you weren't listening to me at all that time, too. The reasons why you don't recall seeing her, is because you didn't see her. She was sick. She's not the healthiest of the people I know…not all girls are strong like you, Uranus," Oberon sighed at his boyish sister. How many times he had wondered, as to why Uranus was born a girl, not a boy. "As to how I came to know her, let's just say I've been to Kaiousei a lot more frequently than you have."

The carriage finally landed in front of them, and Uranus anxiously waited besides Oberon. She was happy to see Proteus again…it has been two years since she had seen her. At the same time, she was having butterflies in her stomach, of meeting another princess. Her last several encounters of meeting younger princesses of other planets have not gone so well. Princess Mercury were not so terrible, but too quiet for Uranus. Princess Jupiter, she has come to like, but not someone who she would want to spend hours and hours with. On the other hand, the meeting with Princess Mars and Venus was even more terrible. Girls in dresses drove Uranus insane, along with their perky voices and attitudes. _Let's just hope she's descent_, Uranus thought, and crossed her fingers behind her back.

The driver of the carriage stepped down from his seat, and opened the door. A tall man in a navy cloak stepped outside the carriage first, helping the smaller woman clad in the same cloak from the carriage. Uranus was sure, that at that moment, her heart has skipped. 'Beautiful' might not have been a good enough word to express what she saw—the same sapphire eyes as Proteus, and the same unusual hair color. Her wavy hair fell behind her cloak, and accentuated her delicate face. Uranus couldn't believe that this woman was three years younger than her.

"Uranus, you haven't changed a bit!" Uranus was brought back down to the world as Proteus took her hand and friendly shook it. "Although I have to say, you must have grown another few inches."

"How can I stop her from growing, Proteus? The tailors are always complaining about how they have to keep continue measuring her every time they see her," Oberon laughed, and kissed the smaller woman lightly on the forehead. "Uranus, I want you to meet Princess Neptune," Neptune politely curtsied.

"It's my pleasure to meet you, Princess Neptune," Uranus took her hands, and then placed a kiss on the back of her hand.

"It's my pleasure to meet you, too, Princess Uranus," Neptune smiled at Uranus, who was at loss of words. She wasn't exactly expecting the calm and mature voice.

"Now, that I think all formalities are over, why don't Uranus and I invite you inside the castle," Oberon kindly took Neptune by her shoulder, and headed towards the castle. Just then, one of the men from the army came running up to Oberon.

"Prince, the King is asking for your presence in the meeting right now. He wishes Prince Proteus to be there as well," the soldier kneeled in front of them.

"Uranus, take Neptune to your room. We'll be right back," Oberon and Proteus followed the soldier, leaving Uranus and Neptune on the marble road headed to the castle.

"Shall we go then?" Uranus was starting to feel awkward around Neptune, who did not say much since they first exchanged words. 

"I do not mean to be rude, Princess Neptune, but isn't it a little bit hot for you to be wearing the cloak?" Uranus faced Neptune, who was wearing a heavy wool traveling cloak, compared to Uranus's light, cotton tunic.

"Yes, it is. I was not expecting your planet to be this hot. I would have dressed lighter…" Neptune untied the ribbon at her neck, taking the cloak by her arms, revealing a pale purple dress that reached the floor.

"Here, let me take that for you," Uranus took the cloak from Neptune, and continued to walk past the doors through the hallway, few steps ahead of Neptune. She made sure she wasn't going too fast, so Neptune was not falling too behind. Once she reached to her room, she opened the door for Neptune. Just before she closed the door, she made sure that the maid who happened to walk by brought them something to drink. Then, Uranus hanged Neptune's cloak on one of the nearby chairs. For a moment, Uranus thought she had lost sight of Neptune, but found her standing near the tall window, staring outside.

"Tenousei is such a beautiful planet," Uranus heard her sigh as she stepped closer. From the window, they could see the guards and the servants roaming inside the castle wall. Outside the wall, city people were seen bustling in the streets. Further ahead were spread the endless desert and the forever ongoing trails that led to someplace else. "It is so much different from mine."

"Well princess, you better get used to it, since you're going to be our queen pretty soon…aren't you?" Uranus turned to her side to look at the younger girl, who continued to stare outside, both her hands pressing against the window. Uranus noticed that she was nearly a head taller than the girl, who seemed very fragile and delicate like Proteus. "I personally like Mokusei—it's much cooler than our planet. Plus, it's fun climbing their trees."

"What is it like?" Neptune looked up, to see Uranus was staring at her, not the outside.

"You've never been to Mokusei before?" Neptune shook her head. "The land's mostly covered with trees…there're different types, of course. I like how the leaves change color during different seasons. They're green one season, and turn to red and orange in another. Which planet do you like?" Uranus asked to Neptune, who listened to her story like a child who is listening to bedtime stories.

"I am not sure," she tipped her head to the side, as Uranus gave her strange looks.

"What do you mean you aren't sure? You must have one planet out of all the solar system that you like. Or do you like all of them?"

"I have never been to any other planets other than Kaiousei until I came here today," Uranus helped her sit on the couch, seeing her face become even more pale. Just then, the maid finally brought them the drinks. Uranus quickly grabbed the drinks from the tray the maid was carrying, and handed over to Neptune, who took it in gladly.

"Are you feeling alright?" Uranus asked her, as Neptune placed the cup down back on the table.

"This is exactly the reason why my people would not allow me to go anywhere else outside the castle. They all think that I am too weak," Neptune turned to Uranus, who now sat besides her on the couch. "Proteus and Oberon were luckily able to convince my parents and doctors that the winds in Tenousei would be good for me," Neptune giggled, and took Uranus's hand, and cupped it in her own. "I envy you, Princess Uranus."

"Me?" Uranus was startled. She noticed how Neptune's hands were softer and smaller than hers. Neptune nodded her head, and stared at Uranus, who felt as though her mind was being read through her eyes.

"You may have not seen me, but I have seen you from the window when you came to Kaiousei. I somehow knew you were a woman, even if you were training with men. Oberon has told me stories about you, too, about how you would go with him to different planets. I have always wished that I could do the same with Proteus," Neptune continued. "Now that I have met you in person, I even more so wish that I was like you," Neptune took Uranus's hand and pressed it to her cheek. Uranus took her other hand, and cupped Neptune's hands that were holding hers.

"I am I, and you are you. We're all different; we have to accept that. If you were me, Oberon would have never fallen for you, and you certainly would not have fallen for him." This was something that Uranus had accepted through her life. She knew that even if she tried, she would never be the girly princess the others might have wanted her to be. It was more natural for her to do masculine activities, and dress that way, rather than try to be feminine. She had received complements for her looks from other princesses, but not for her abilities.

"Princess Uranus…" Neptune let go of Uranus's hands.

"You know what, call me Uranus. I don't want to have my little sister calling me princess, knowing that I don't look like one," Uranus scratched her head. "Mind if I call you Neptune?" The younger girl smiled and nodded. "Neptune, do a favor for me."

"A favor?"

"Yes, a favor. Be a little stronger," Uranus patted Neptune's head lightly. "Then, I might show you around town sometimes and even teach you to run a little," at her words, Neptune's face lit up. Uranus was caught off guard again, when Neptune embraced her around the neck. This was certainly something that Uranus was not expecting, yet she didn't mind. It was not lustful, compared to the forceful ones she had encountered with the other girls she has met before—rather, it was like a sisterly love. It made her feel that she needed to protect the younger girl, and the future queen of the planet—Uranus was sure this was how her brother must have felt.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Sailor Moon!_

Thank you to all the people who reviewed!!!Your inputs are very helpful, and it keeps me wanting to update! I'll make sure I'll try to update at least once every week! To the reviewers...:

_LitaDelacour_: I'm glad you like Oberon...I'm planning to keep him a good character so far:-)

_petiyaka_: Thanks! Thank you for reading it!

_Urooj_: It's good to know that it was unexpected in a good way! I am interested in knowing what you were expecting...

_Amnesia Nymph_: You are one of the authors on who inspired me to write this story! I'll make sure I'll try to concentrate on some of Neptune's feelings. Thanks for the complements!

_simply infatuated_: Yes, it is the first story that I ever posted! I'm glad you liked it:-) Let me know if I can improve my writing!

_gale_: I think many people kind of know the result, but I'm sure I'll keep up the plot interesting!

_McFleet_: I promise I won't keep you hanging for long! Please read and review this one too!

* * *

**Unbroken Vow**

By lovelikealoha

Uranus softly placed a blanket from the closet on top of Neptune, who had fallen asleep on the couch, hugging one of the large cushions. Afraid of waking her up, Uranus settled down on a nearby armchair, and began to read a book she was forced to read by her tutor…_Poisonous Solutions_...but she couldn't concentrate on what she was reading at all. She was beginning to dose off herself when she was interrupted by a knock on the door. She would usually call across the room to see who it was or tell them it was open, but today, she walked across the room to open to the door.

"Uranus," Oberon and Proteus was silenced by Uranus, motioning to them by pressing her index finger to her lips. They quickly understood, and walked in silently over to the couch, where Neptune continued to sleep without stirring. Uranus settled herself back on the armchair, picking up the book at the same time—although she knew that she was not going to read them anyway. Oberon sat on the couch next to Neptune, while Proteus leaned on the wall next to the window.

"What did father have to say?" Uranus asked, peeking from the open book. Even though her father, King Prospero, had allowed Uranus to dress and act like men, he had yet to accept her as an equal—he would never ask for her presence at any of the important meetings, nor ask for her opinions on battles, etc. When the king gave his title as the General of the Army over to Oberon, he never gave any positions to Uranus. She now held the position as the Head Captain, but that was after weeks of Oberon trying to convince their father: Uranus had to admit that her brother had to be one of the greatest convincers in the world.

"Queen Pluto would like us from both Tenousei and Kaiousei to aid them battle against an enemy," Oberon gently removed the strands of hair that had fallen on Neptune's face.

"And who is this enemy?"

"That, we can't answer," Proteus sighed. "She doesn't know who the enemy is…she just knows that there is an enemy of some kind."

"As to aiding them," Oberon started, knowing what Uranus was going to ask. "We're not exactly battling anyone yet, but she sent us a message, to prepare our soldiers just in case. I was thinking about starting on the training tomorrow." Uranus was about to say something, but noticed that Neptune was beginning to stir from her sleep.

"Have I been asleep long?" Neptune asked, rubbing her eyes with hands as she looked around the room, realizing that she wasn't alone with Uranus anymore.

"Not really," Oberon leaned toward her, and gently kissed her on the cheek, getting a small giggle from the smaller woman. "But father would like all of us to be at the dinner soon, that's what we came here to tell you two." Neptune gasped and her hands flew to her cheeks. She quickly turned over to Proteus, who was leaning against Uranus's armchair, staring at the book's content.

"Proteus, what happened to our luggage?" Neptune had forgotten all about it—she and her brother had made sure that it would reach Tenousei at the same time they reached the planet, yet they did not receive them once they actually arrived.

"I'm really not sure…I'll go check," Proteus headed out the door, but Oberon stopped him.

"The delivery system isn't going so well these days…so it might arrive a few days late. But don't worry, you can always wear mine, and I'm sure that Uranus has some dresses in the closet." Oberon thought he was giving reassuring words to the siblings from Kaiousei, but their faces told them otherwise.

"My Marine Cathedral!"

Uranus gave Neptune a questioning look. _She brought a cathedral with her…? No wonder the delivery system was slowed down…_Uranus wondered to herself. Yet she wasn't the only one, as Oberon stated her thoughts out loud.

"You brought a building with you?"

"No, silly," Proteus gave a nervous chuckle. "The Marine Cathedral's my sisters violin…" Before Oberon and Uranus could hear the rest, they saw Proteus run out of the room.

"I'll go and see what we can do about that…meanwhile, we'll see you at the dining hall," Oberon patted her hand, and winked at Uranus before running after Proteus. Uranus went to close the door her brother forgot to close, and motioned Neptune to follow her, thinking, _that violin sure must be valuable_…

Uranus walked into her bedroom, and then opened the double-door of her closet. She lit the room, and let Neptune walk in. Neptune stood in awe as she took in what was around her—dresses of all kinds, hung in the order of the rainbow.

"Wow," Neptune sighed in amazement. "How many dresses do you have?"

"I'm not sure…never counted. Some of them belonged to my mother, I think. I've never worn any. Even if I worn them, the most I wore is once…so they're good as new," Uranus took a lilac dress, and handed over to Neptune. "Here, I think Oberon would like this."

"You've never worn most of them?"

"No…I've never really been fond of dresses. They're too hard to run," Uranus chuckled, noticing that Neptune was still awestruck. "Oh, come on, princess like you must have more dresses than I do."

"I am not sure," Neptune answered. Her minds seemed to be somewhere else. _There she goes again_…Uranus thought.

"Tell me, Neptune, you might not know the number of dresses you have, but you can surely compare approximately the number of dresses you have."

"Well, everyday, the maids would just bring the dress in for me and help me dress. I never had a closet where I could walk in and pick any one I like," Neptune was now touching the fabric of the dress Uranus had handed over to her. "It's such a pity you don't wear them, Uranus. You must look pretty…" she tilted her head, seeing that Uranus was furiously shaking her head 'No' and waving her hands in front of her.

"I'm fine with wearing men's clothes," Uranus pointed to a small rack at the corner, where several tunics and jackets hung. "Now, you can change in here, if you would like," she picked up a suit she usually wore to dinner, and was about to walk out of the room, when Neptune grabbed the sleeve on her tunic. "Do you need anything?"

"Could you do me a little favor?" Neptune's cheeks were slowly turning pink. Uranus nodded. "Do you mind helping me?" It took a few moments for Uranus to understand—when she did, she burst into laughter. "What's so funny?"

"Sorry," Uranus was crutching her stomach, also trying to stop the tears from falling. "I knew you were a little too overprotected princess, but not that daintily brought up, if you know what I mean." Neptune stood there, pouting her lips. "I didn't mean to make you angry. I promise," Uranus made her turn around. "Here, let me help you with that," Uranus gently unbuttoned the dress, as Neptune lifted her hair for easier access. After dropping the dress onto the door, she helped Neptune step into the new one, tying the ribbons on the back. The dress, with its large neckline, fit Neptune perfectly—not too puffy, but not too constricting. Uranus took the old dress and threw it in the clothes basket. "Now if you don't mind, I think I'll change myself. Wait for me a few seconds, and I'll escort you there." Uranus gently pushed her out of the closet, putting a shawl of darker shade of purple on Neptune's shoulder, before locking herself in.

Neptune was fixing the shawl on her shoulders in front of the tall mirror, just when Uranus walked in with her black dinner suit.

"You really look amazing, Uranus," Neptune complemented, taking a look at the older woman from head to toe. Uranus knelt on her knee, taking Neptune's hand and kissing it.

"You look dashing yourself," Uranus complemented back. As she was standing up to straighten her posture, she noticed that the string in her hair has fallen off. She bent over to pick them up, but Neptune reached it faster.

"Do you have a brush?" Uranus handed her a brush from the side table. She forcibly, although never strong, made Uranus sit on a stool—so she could brush her hair: the stool set a perfect height for Neptune to gain access to Uranus's golden locks.

Uranus had never allowed any people, other than Oberon, to touch her hair…yet she didn't mind, as Neptune continued. She didn't notice that she closed her eyes in relaxation, when Neptune called her back to reality. She was about to ask whether Neptune was about to tie it, but stopped noticing that Neptune had brushed it in a way, so some of her light golden locks fell in front of her shoulder, while the rest fell on her back.

"I can't believe that my hair actually looks straight," Uranus was used to having Oberon tie it in one, so the hair lay on her back in one bunch. That was partly because Uranus felt that there was nothing that she can do tame her hair—that would tangle and fly in all directions, even when she wasn't running. She took some of her own strands of hair in her hands, and ran her fingers through.

"All I did was brushing," Neptune set the brush aside, next to the string Uranus had her hair tied with. "Your hair is too fine…that's why the string slips off. I think you look prettier this way," Neptune put her hands on Uranus's shoulders, and smiled at the mirror: content that Uranus liked it.

"You might want to rephrase that…more handsome might fit better. Don't you think?"

"Oh Uranus!"

* * *

Uranus had gotten looks from both Oberon and Proteus, along with his father, who rarely looked at her, when she walked in the dining hall with Neptune. Oberon's eyes flew wide open, at his sister who looked much feminine with her hair down, while Proteus winked at her. However, the king did not comment at all--all he did was stare at her for a mere moment. Uranus was used to that kind of treatment from the king…being ignored: the same as usual. But she thought that for a tiniest moment, there was a hint of warmness in her father's eyes, but shook that idea out of her head. She seated herself next to Oberon, and Neptune sat next to her brother…it seemed that the luggage was to arrive sometime tomorrow morning.

"Prince Proteus, Princess Neptune," King Prospero's voice echoed the room. "I would like to welcome you for coming to Tenousei. I hope that you would enjoy your stay," he lifted the glass filled with red wine from the table. He was in his sixties, but anyone would have guessed him to be much older…he had aged several years, after his wife, Queen Titania's death. Yet his emerald eyes sparkled and the silvery-gold were eminent amongst his graying hair—a sign of Tenousei's royal family. Afterwards, the dinner was eaten in silence. Oberon and Uranus was used to the silent meals: Uranus immediately saw that the two other siblings were not, as Neptune and Proteus were seen sharing confusing glances at each other from time to time.

It was not until the end of the dinner, when the king finally spoke up again.

"Neptune?" Neptune looked up, startled—she was not expecting to hear another word from this man, who was to be her father-in-law. "I have talked with King Poseidon and Queen Naiad about having an engagement party for you and Oberon," King Prospero stared straight into girl's eyes: noticing that he might have scared the little girl, he chuckled out loud. "My dear, you should not be afraid of me." This seemed to calm Neptune down a bit. "I have already set the date up. It'll all go perfectly as we planned…there's nothing to worry about! I will act out the plan tomorrow, that is, unless you would want to plan some yourself and have something on your mind," the king smiled.

Uranus was shocked…had she been daydreaming?! Her father was actually smiling…something that she barely saw. He laughed too! Plus, the king has just given a _girl_, someone who was way younger than him, and certainly far away from being a man, an opportunity to do something of her own will. _He must really like her_…Uranus turned to look at Neptune.

"Sir…" Neptune trailed off, but continued in her trembling voice. "I do not wish to have an engagement party." It seemed that for another moment, the dinner hall was completely silent again, except for Uranus coughing on her recent sip of wine, and the sound of Oberon patting on her back. _What kind of princess does not want a party…!! Don't you understand? The King Prospero asked if 'you' want to do something! Just take the opportunity and plan your own party, for god's sakes!!_ Uranus's mind was screaming, but her brother didn't seem to have same thoughts this time, or at least that's what Uranus thought. Yet she wasn't sure, since Oberon was staring down to his lap. Proteus was sitting there, staring at the now cleaned-table, while Neptune continued to stare back at the king.

"You do not wish to have an engagement party? But Princess Neptune, it is to celebrate your engagement between you and my son! If you are worried about whether the guest would come, that certainly would not be a problem as people are just anxious to see you…" The king was startled—his smiles turned into a frown.

"I do not think it is right, to use the people's money for just an engagement party…I will make sure to visit those who you would like me to visit, but King Prospero, I may not be in the position to say this, but I believe that people would appreciate much more, if they were invited to one wedding, rather than having their earnings for the planet, for two parties in which they are not part of," Neptune's voice was noticeably more confident now. "May Oberon and I have just a wedding?"

"…Very well…" Uranus was worried that her father to yell angrily, and perhaps slap the younger girl for talking back to him—something that the king had done to her over the last few years—therefore she was surprised at the king's reaction. Uranus could see, very well this time, that even Oberon was surprised, of how her father had listened to the orders from Neptune. True, what Neptune had stated was not much of an order, more of asking for a favor, but for a man who had absolutely refused to listen to any of the women's opinions, it was a big change. _I suppose even father has some weak spots_… "Neptune, I would like you to come to my study the next morning. You are all dismissed," King Prospero had stood up slowly from his chair, grabbed the cane that was leaning on the table, and left the room--the sound of the cane hitting against the marble floor, echoing in the dining hall. The four young royals were left in the room—three of the oldest looking at the youngest one, who now shrunk back in her chair.

* * *

In the garden of the Miranda Castle

Sound of the water, flowing from the fountain was heard, as Neptune and Oberon walked through the garden, located in the courtyard of the castle. Neptune was enjoying the moment, as Oberon pulled her close by her shoulders, firmly yet gentle at the same time. She knew that she was not a fast walker, and knew that the pace that Oberon usually walked, was much more faster than Neptune's pace--something that she realized while she was following Uranus in the hallway earlier during the day. However, Oberon never urged her to walk faster, and did not seem to mind that she was not strong. That was few of the reasons why she had come to like Oberon. While she was sick, and he would be on Kaiousei, he would always visit her in bed, tell her stories about the other planets of the solar system. Sometime, he would just be there while she slept, and hold her hands for the longest time. Neptune's other suitors would look down upon her, upon knowing her ill-health, while others would drag her down the garden had they been to a walk. Some would look of her as a prize, to gain power, while others would make her feel uncomfortable. And Oberon, was certainly none of that.

"Oberon," Neptune slowly leaned her head on Oberon's shoulders, as they came to a halt near the large pool of water with a large fountain in the middle. "I really like your sister."

"I can see that."

"Do you think she likes me back?" Neptune looked into Oberon's eyes, who looked back: his eyes, full of affection.

"Sure she does! She never let any girls go in her room before. Plus, she doesn't let anybody else except for me touch her hair...am I right to assume that you did?" Oberon giggled, and drew in Neptune closer, and then pulled the purple shawl over Neptune's shoulders securer. "I have to watch out so you won't fall for her!"

"Oberon, as much as I like her, I am hoping that when I get married, I will have a new older sister! Not an older brother because I already have one!" They both laughed, and Neptune stood up on the tip of her toes, to place a kiss on his cheek. "I hope that I will come to like your father, too. I'm worried that he might not like me."

"Don't worry, you'll like him. Besides, he's not that bad as he looks. If he didn't like you, he wouldn't have accepted our engagement. He seemed pretty excited about it." Oberon heard Neptune sigh--whether it was that of relief, he wasn't quite sure. "Don't worry," he comforted her once again. Neptune reached her arms around Oberon's neck to embrace him, as he embraced her back--it wasn't long until the silence fell again, except for the sound of the fountain water.

To be continued...

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That's it for Chapter 2! How did you like it?! Please read & review!! Tell me your thoughts, comments, or anything that I can improve on!!

Thank you for continuing to read the story!


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Sailor Moon! _

**Author's Note** Sorry for the slow update! I was studying for the finals at my school and they are finally over!Please feel free to correct me if something doesn't sound right or I got some pronouns mixed up (thanks for those who pointed it out…I edited it!!). My first language is Japanese…not English!

_Glowie_: Thanks for the review! I'm hoping to keep up a similar pace, and I'll try not to drag too much by adding extra plots! Oh, and thanks for pointing out the error! I fixed it! (I don't know why I mixed that up; really…I'll watch out to make sure that pronouns match!)

_LitaDelacour_: Thank you for the review! Glad you still like OberonJ Please continue to read and find out whether Neptune would fall in love with Uranus!

_Yavapai_: About the Marine Cathedral…I didn't realize that it was the name of the violin myself when I was reading the manga…it's the name of the actual building though, in anime version, I believe. And yes, it would be a long fic! Thank you for reviewing!

_Amnesia Nymphgale_: Haruka and Michiru would _eventually _fall in love! Thanks for the review!

_Amnesia Nymph_: Thank you for the review! And yes, I think I know what you're talking about, but I don't think Michiru will realize her feelings for Haruka, yet:-)

_O2_: I'm sorry if it's bugging you….well I'm hoping that you'll get used to it though.

_AkanE_: Thanks! I'll try it to update as fast as I can!

_Shalimar Mars_: Did it really?! I'm glad to know! Thanks for reviewing.

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**Unbroken Vow**

By lovelikealoha

A stern-looking woman, possibly in her late seventies, stood outside a large double door, tapping her foot impatiently—her graying hair was put up in a tight bun, and she wore a matching high-collar dress, along with black boots, whose clicking echoed in the hall. She knocked on the door, for about the hundredth time, yet seeing that the inhabitant of the room was not responding any time soon, she opened the door and forced herself in, at the same time making sure that the dress she had would not get any wrinkles.

"Princess Neptune! Get up! The king is waiting to have you over for breakfast," the woman walked briskly around the room opening the curtains, letting the light come in the previously darkened room revealing a sleeping figure on top of the bed, still wearing a formal dress and not a nightgown. Had the woman not heard the moan coming out from the sleeping figure, she would have thought that she had seen a corpse. Neptune sat herself up on the bed, and looked around the room, trying to find the source of the voice. She was never forced to wake up back on Kaiousei: besides, she did not consider herself a late-sleeper. As she was continuing to search for the voice, there was tap on her shoulder. As Neptune turned around, there stood a woman, towering over her, with both her hands now resting on her hips. "Come on, get up!" The woman was not yelling, but the way she talked in a scolding way, made Neptune feel like a small child again.

"May I ask who you are?" Neptune asked curiously.

"Oh, didn't the prince or the princess tell you? They asked me to attend to you," the woman puller her off of the queen-sized bed, causing the girl to shiver. It seemed that Tenousei's temperatures were on extremes—cold in the morning and at night, while it was hot during the daytime. "I'm Margaret. I have brought up the former queen, Prince Oberon and Princess Uranus. Seeing that they don't need my help that much anymore, the two believed that it would be best for me to care for you, as you'll be staying at Tenousei for a while," the woman continued to talk as she brought Neptune over to the bathing room. "By the way, Prince Proteus left. He had asked me to tell you that he would be coming back later tomorrow because he has some business to attend to." Margaret continued to talk as she filled the bath tub with warm water, and poured some perfume into it. "Don't just stand there!" She yelled to the startled princess, as she just stared at the older woman. As the water slowly filled the tub, the older woman helped Neptune undress. She then grabbed a towel and soap from the rack, helping Neptune get into the tub.

"Madame Marg…

"Call me Margaret, Maggie, Madge, Meg…anything you want. Just don't call me Madame or Mrs…I don't have to be reminded that I am old everyday!" Margaret went on to scrub Neptune and wash her hair, leaving Neptune no time to talk, as water was constantly being dumped over her head. It wasn't long before Neptune was pulled out of the tub and dried roughly. While at Kaiousei, Neptune had always enjoyed dipping herself in the bath, without anyone else rushing her on…she had no time to enjoy, and was speechless at how fast this woman was going. There seemed to be something about people on Tenousei…_they all act like the time is going to run out! They must be in a hurry or something…_Neptune thought, as Margaret helped her get in a pale lemon-yellow empire dress, that Uranus had asked her to give to Neptune. Compared to the people at Tenousei, the people at Kaiousei were generally unhurried—no, they were not lazy, nor did it mean that they could not do something fast. Everyone was calm…at least the royalties of the Kaiousei and many working in the castle were—maybe with the exception of Proteus, who had gotten some of the Tenousei's people's personalities, under the influence of Oberon over the years

"Margaret?

"Now, that's better!" Margaret was now brushing Neptune's partly dried hair, and tying it up with a red ribbon. Then, she sprayed one puff of a fragrance that Neptune could not quite figure out, yet she liked it, nonetheless.

"Why hurry so much?

"The king is waiting for you in his study. He wanted to have breakfast with you!" Margaret pulled up Neptune from her chair, then pushed her out of the room, the hair still dripping with water. "Your hair will dry soon! This way," Margaret was almost dragging Neptune across the hallway— Neptune had never been this rushed before in the morning—reminding her of the some of the terrible days that she had spent with previous suitors. By the time they had reached the door of King Prospero's room, Neptune was out of breath. She was amazed at how much this woman, who was nearly fifty years older than her, was able to run around, without showing a bit of fatigue. "Wait here," Margaret ordered to the girl, as she stepped inside the king's study. Neptune waited anxiously, but Margaret soon came out, motioning Neptune to come in. "I'll wait for you outside. Just behave yourself, do nothing to make him angry. Understood?" Before Neptune had time to answer, she was pushed inside the room by herself.

* * *

"Come on in, Princess Neptune. Have a seat in the chair next to mine," the king's voice echoed in the room. Neptune didn't know what to make of his voice—it didn't sound angry, but it wasn't the nicest voice that she had heard. She walked further into the room, to where King Prospero was sitting in a large chair, near a round table prepared with breakfast. Next to the table was another chair, which the king had motioned her to sit in. 

"Good morning," Neptune curtsied to him, before seating herself in the chair. Not knowing what she should do next, she kept her eyes on the floor, until the king had handed to her a glass of drink. When Neptune looked up to thank him, she was at once relieved, realizing that he was smiling at her, with laughing creases around his eyes—she was expecting to get scolded for what she had said yesterday night: certainly not this

"Try it, princess. This is no poison," King Prospero urged her, as he poured himself a cup, and drank it to prove that it was safe. Neptune slowly brought the cup to her lips to drink the pinkish fluid, to find out that it was sweet—something that she has never tasted, but it was to her liking. "It is good for you. I have made a promise with Queen Naiad to take good care of you, princess, and I had this mixed up by our potion master—one of the best in the solar system, I tell you, to improve your health. I do not usually breakfast in my study, but I thought that it would be a pleasant room to welcome you." At that, Neptune took time to look around the vast room, which held shelves of books after books. There was not a single space where the wall was covered with the shelves, except for where the windows were, and one wall, which hung a magnificent portrait.

It was a portrait of a woman—it only showed from shoulders and up, but one could tell that this person was mature and strong. Her silver, not gray, hair with large curls, fell on the figure's shoulders, which accentuated her perfect features. Her blue eyes seemed to sparkle, even in the painting, and her lips were closed, but curved slightly up in the corners, showing kindness and determination at the same time. _I know I have seen this portrait somewhere…_ Neptune thought to herself, as she admired the figure in the painting and the painter as well, who had painted with extraordinary techniques.

"Your mother was the one who had given the painting to me," the king commented, as he turned to see what Neptune stopped to look. Then, Neptune's mind flashbacked to more than ten years ago

_Young Neptune lied in an armchair that was a little bit too big for her. She was covered by layers of blankets, and a wet towel pressed against her forehead—to lower her fever that was leaving her body helpless in the chair. Yet despite the fatigue, she kept her eyes open, to see her mother sitting in a stool set next to a chair, concentrating on painting a portrait of a woman, while humming a lamenting tune. She loved watching her mother paint, and hear her hum or sing while she did so—something that Neptune was quite proud of. She was sure that her mother must have had the prettiest enchanting voice on Kaiousei. Neptune looked carefully at the portrait: she knew those blue eyes and the silver hair, that she had seen once before, yet something was differen  
_

_"Mama, Queen Serenity doesn't have curly hair like that. Her hair's suppose to be straight and it looks like she has buns on her head" the young girl sat up to gesture what it was suppose to look like, dropping the now lukewarm towel and several blankets in the process. Queen Naiad slowly turned to her side, laying down the brush and the palette on the nearby table, to turn to her daughter.  
_

_"My little mermaid, this is not Queen Serenity," she wet the towel in the ice-water, then after wringing it, replaced the cold towel on her daughter's forehead. She then covered Neptune with the blankets once again, causing the girl to crumple back in the chair. "This is Queen Titania…it's a pity that you were not able to meet her." Before Neptune could ask anymore questions, her mother had gone back to painting the portrait, looking distant and lost in thought: the sad tune lingered in her ears as she drifted off to sleep…  
_

"Your mother is an excellent painter," King Prospero noted, bringing Neptune back to reality. "Did she ever teach you to paint?" Neptune nodded. "I would be interested in seeing your paintings, then." King Prospero resumed back to his previous posture to commence eating, yet noticed that Neptune was still looking at the picture

"She looks a lot like Queen Serenity, doesn't she?"

"Well, my dear, Queen Titania is the cousin of Queen Serenity. Although they look alike," the king then chuckled, "personality wise, they were not." Neptune was confused as to what he found so amusing, but soon turned around. She had to admit King Prospero was one of the nicest person she had ever met: she actually quite enjoyed the breakfast, too .

* * *

"How was it?" Margaret asked, once Neptune had come out of the King's study. The breakfast went well…at least Neptune had hoped so. The king had asked her to come again the next morning…he had told her about Queen Titania, but he did not bring anything about the engagement party back in the conversation again. The rest was mostly him asking her questions about what she did and how she liked Tenousei, etc…yet Neptune did not feel tortured—she was amazed at how much the king talked. She had to admit that he had quite a bit of humor; something that was unexpected, as she assumed that he was a serious man, referring to the dinner the day before 

"It went well," Neptune smiled back at Margaret, who stood a bit taller than her. "Do you know where the training ground is?

"Well sure I do. Do you want to go there? You might need some training…although I don't think you'll last with our men there," Neptune cut her off

"I'm not the one who's training Margaret! I asked King Prospero if he knew where Oberon and Uranus was, and he told me that they would be at the training ground," Neptune giggled as the older woman looked at her from head to her, mumbling something about Neptune being too weak

"Alright, I'll help you get around. You might as well as learn your way around the castle. Good exercise for you, too." This time, Margaret matched Neptune's calm footsteps, rather than drag her along. Neptune could feel Margaret's urge to want to go faster, and the older woman continuously fussed about how she needed to exercise and eat more, or how pale she was—yet Neptune just smiled and linked her arms with the sturdy woman. Margaret was taken by surprise at first when Neptune held her arms as they continued to walk, but seeing that frail princess from Kaiousei was content, she did not hesitate. She was enjoying attending to someone again…something that she has not done in long time, as Oberon was now 27 and Uranus was 20. The two had let her to take the time off from attending to them, and enjoy rest of her life in the castle without any problems. However, in reality, Margaret had missed fussing over the younger generation, although truths be told, they hardly needed much of her help once they were old enough. Therefore when the prince and the princess had asked her earlier this morning about attending to the future queen, who actually wore dresses and ribbons, she took no time hesitating, and gladly took the offer.

Oberon and Uranus was demonstrating one of the defense techniques using the sword on a platform that was raised about an inch above the ground, when they noticed that their men was not paying attention, unlike usual. Usually, the men would be paying full attention, and the two were pleased with how their men remained silent and were vigilant, but today was a completely different story. There were murmurs and whispers among the crowd: seeing that they were hardly gaining attention, the general and the captain stopped the demonstration to see just what it was, that was making all these men act like children anticipating something

It was not long before the two realized what the excitement was all about, as Margaret was walking closer to the platform with Neptune, at her side, looking livelier than the day before. A look at Margaret told all the onlookers how much she was wishing she could go faster; she was well known around the castle for being picky and fussy, yet she was loved by everyone. When the two woman finally reached the platform, and Neptune had let go of Margaret's arm, Margaret stood, putting her hands on her waist as she sighed, just loud enough for people to hear. This earned a laugh from the army of men, as well as Uranus, who patted her back with understanding.

"Good morning, Oberon," Neptune did not bother to notice the laughs coming from the spectators, as Oberon drew her closer by the shoulders

"It's a little late for morning, my dear." Oberon lightly kissed her forehead. "I'm assuming everything went well?" Neptune nodded and smiled.

"He was…"

"Hey General! Introduce her to us!" One of the men yelled out from the crowd, and many noises were followed in agreement, before Neptune could continue

"Alright, alright," Oberon motioned them to be silent, and winked at Neptune. "This, is Princess Neptune, from Kaiousei. She will be my wife, which means she will become our future queen. So, I expect you to bid her welcome, and treat her well." Neptune smiled and daintily waved to the men, earning her loud cheers and applauds.

When one of the men in the front exclaimed, "It's a princess who actually wear dresses," this earned a second laugh from the crowd, leaving the newcomer with a confused look on her face. She turned to her side to see Uranus, standing discontented: when Uranus caught her gaze, she mouthed to her, _I'll tell you later_.

To be continued...

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Mmm...it might not be as long as the other one, but I'm hoping that you all liked it!! 

Please continue to review! Or review if you haven't done it yet ( v )/

(Oh, and don't worry: I'm not running out of ideas...I just don't have much time to do it!)


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note:**__ How was everyone's summer? I went to Japan to see my relatives: part of the reason why I wasn't able to update. I'm terribly sorry to keep everybody waiting, but I'm hoping to make it up to all the readers with this chapter! Thank you for those who reviewed the last chapter! Also, I decided to reply to all the reviews using the 'review reply' thing of the I'm new to this, so I'm not sure how everything works yet, but I'm hoping that people who reviewed the last chapter got my reply! Let me know whether it worked or not! Well, on with the story!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Sailor Moon!_

**Unbroken Vow**

By lovelikealoha

"You are all dismissed!" A rich baritone voice rang throughout the training field, as all the cranking of the wooden swords subsided.

The training usually lasted until late afternoon, but today, it was cut short—it was nearly impossible for Oberon and Uranus to try and get the men to concentrate on their training, for all the men were either restless or fidgety, trying to get a closer look at this new princess. After the two made sure that all men returned to where they need to be, they decided to head back to the castle. But one of the older male servants came rushing over, to whisper something in Oberon's ear, then left.

"What did he want?" Uranus asked.

"The counsel wants me to be at their meeting. That's all he told me," Oberon gave a lop-sided smile. "Uranus, why don't you see whether her luggage arrived. It should be here by now…and well, I guess I will see you all later," and then, he headed for the castle.

"If you don't mind, Uranus, I think I'd better start on moving some of the dresses from your closet to Neptune's." Before Uranus had a chance to say whether she minded or not, Margaret, too, was walking briskly back to the castle.

Not knowing what to do after being left alone with her future sister, Uranus started to head in the direction of the castle, expecting Neptune to follow her. However, she was stopped by a soft 'wait'. The rustling of the dress was heard behind her, and before Uranus could look back to see, Neptune had linked her arm with hers. All of the sudden, Uranus felt tingly, warm sensations around her heart; something that she has never felt before. She felt even more so, after Neptune looked up and smiled—now standing next to her.

"I'm so happy that you will be my sister," Neptune chirped, then paused, noticing Uranus's flurried behavior. "Anything wrong?" Uranus quickly shook her head, and lead her towards the delivery station. She had to remind herself to calm down, as Neptune's one hand gently touched her arm, while her other hand entwined with Uranus's hair, combing it with her slender fingers for a moment.

For Uranus, it would usually take her less than 5 minutes, to reach the delivery station from the training ground, but with Neptune walking closely with her, it took her nearly 15 minutes. Had Neptune been some other princess, or the daughters of the different lords, Uranus would have shaken the girl off her arm, and walked much faster to leave the girl behind. Yet there was something special about this princess, who she just met yesterday, that intrigued her—just the presence of Neptune besides her somehow seemed to calm her usual quick temper. Besides, she was able to get along with her while talking: with all the other girls Uranus had to be with before, they would talk about something that was not to her interest—such as boys and makeup, other times on topics that was too difficult for her to understand. However, to Uranus's dismay, Neptune was a good listener, in addition to having a great knowledge on wars and battles in the past; something that Uranus was interested in talking about, and would have never expected a princess like Neptune to have known. _Looks can be deceiving_…thought Uranus, as Neptune didn't squirm a single bit or show a hint of disgust, as Uranus shared about battles that she was involved in before.

They had finally reached the delivery station, located on the far corner of the Miranda Castle: a place where all the mails and packages were checked before they left or arrived, to ensure the safety of Tenousei. Inside the room were tall shelves, full of papers and parcels, all separated by different numbers, designating the different locations. Usually, only the mail-deliverers or servants would come here, but both Uranus and Oberon came here every so often, preferring to receive/send the mails directly, to avoid losing letters. Therefore the director of the delivery was used to either of the two coming in every other day to ask him about whether new letters have arrived.

"You have two letters today," the middle-aged man handed her two letters absent-mindedly without looking in her direction: a silver envelope sealed with an imperial golden seal, and another one in a pink envelope. Being the busy man that he is, he started to head in the direction where he came from to go back to work, until he was stopped by an unexpected voice.

"Sir, do you know whether my luggage arrived today?" This made the man turn around: the voice was too high to be Uranus's, and certainly not Oberon's. It was too young to be Margaret's, and it was too well-spoken to be one of the maids'. The voice belonged to a petite figure, who by now released Uranus's arm, leaning over the wooden counter to catch his attention. He then saw Uranus standing right behind her: something about her tugged at his mind, but he couldn't figure it out momentarily.

"Eustace, do you have anything from Kaiousei?" It was Uranus who commenced talking, fully catching the busy man's attention by now. "I think it's probably addressed to Oberon."

"I don't recall handling anything myself, but let me go check," the man, called Eustace, immediately went back. Few minutes later, he came back holding a medium-sized object under his arm, and a letter in a blue envelope. After he laid it on the counter, Neptune slowly opened the object. Making sure that nothing was amiss, then closing the object, she held it to herself, giving a sigh of relief. By this time, Eustace realized that this was the princess from Kaiousei that everybody in the castle has been talking about earlier this morning. Yet it wasn't her that bothered him: Eustace burrowed his brows—_something about Uranus was different than usual._

"Is this all?" Uranus ignored Eustace's inquiring facial reaction, taking the blue envelope off the counter, handing them to Neptune.

"That was all that I found. So many things are getting lost because someone's attacking the ships. Just feel lucky that some of the things survived the attack. That was one of the few things we were able to muster. Now if you two would excuse me, I have to go back to work," Eustace tipped his cap, and immediately went back to work. He would have liked to stay longer, but noticing that Uranus was in no mood to answer any questions regarding the girl whom she was with, he thought it better to just wait to hear all the stories from maids and servants who stopped by.

It was when Uranus and Neptune was walking back to the main part of the castle, that Eustace finally noticed what was different: _her hair!_

Uranus took the letters she held in her hands, then stuffed them in her breast pockets. On their way back, Neptune held tightly to the violin case with both her arms along with the letter, that Uranus missed the warm presence besides her. Just when they reached in front of Neptune's room, the door burst open, revealing Margaret, standing boldly, seemingly satisfied.

"Oh! What a great timing! I just finished moving all the dresses from your closets to Neptune's," Margaret clasped her hands. "Some of the dresses have to be altered to fit you, Neptune, but other than that, most of them should fit you fine. You'll need it, because I suppose that the luggage has failed to arrive," Margaret looked over to the two women, without any trace of large objects. Margaret then took Neptune by the arm, to bring her inside the room, telling her how she arranged all the dresses. They asked Uranus to come in, but she politely declined then headed back to her room.

Before Margaret had shut the door closed, Neptune had caught quick sight of Uranus pulling the two letters out of her breast-pockets, that Neptune caught sight of Uranus putting them carefully in her pockets before, as though they were the most valuable objects on the planet.

Standing by the window, overlooking the planet, Uranus carefully opened the golden seal of the first envelope. On the envelope was a name addressed to her in golden ink. As she opened the folded letters, the writings seemed to burst out in colors: it wasn't the best of the handwritings Uranus had ever seen, having difficulty deciphering some letters, but anyone could have noticed, that the writer had put affection and time into the letter. It read:

_Dear Uranus,_

_Greetings! I always love getting letters from you, Uranus! Everyone at the castle has been telling me that I need to be more patient about getting your replies, but how can they expect me to when I can't see you everyday! I wish you were here on the Silver Millennium with me like the others…Oh! I don't think I told you about that in my last letter yet. Queen Serenity just asked Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus to come to our castle and spend time with me. I don't know whether she wanted me to be friends with them or not: more like spies. I don't mean to say that they're bad people, Uranus, because they're certainly nice (I think you've met all of them, haven't you?). Mother asked them to keep their eyes on me I think; I'm still not sure whether she knows my trips to Chikyu. I'm not sure about whether the other princesses would be staying with me from now on, or whether they are here just for now. I wonder why my mother didn't pick you. I think you would have been a better person, if she was looking for someone to look after me. Besides, you're the only person that I know who doesn't yell at me, other than you-know-who (I won't say the name, but you know who it is, just in case!) when I make mistakes. _

_Did you meet Princess Neptune? You've got to tell me more about her when you write to me next time. Mother told me that she's getting married to your brother! That is so exciting! I never met her though, but mother says that she's pretty and talented too. Is she, Uranus? I asked all the others and they don't seem to know much about her either because her planet is so far away from mine and others. But marriage! I can't wait until the day I will be married someday and be like Queen Serenity! Well, say congratulations to your brother and Neptune for me!Write Back Soon!_

_ With Love,_

_Serenity_

Uranus folded the letter again, then placed them back in the envelope in which it was sent. _Have I met all the princesses…? Sure I have; how can I forget them?!_ After reading the letters from Serenity, brought back some of the memories Uranus did not want to bring back. Then she sighed. Because Queen Titania was a cousin of the sovereign Queen Serenity, that made Uranus and Princess Serenity second cousins. They kept correspondence with each other every now and then: Uranus personally didn't like to mingle with girls, but other than Neptune, the other exception was Serenity. There was something about her that kept Uranus from disliking her: she couldn't mistreat her, first of all, because of her status, but Serenity was someone that Uranus favored and treated with affection as long as she herself can remember.

When she was about to open the next envelope, a strong pair of hands grasped her waist, causing Uranus to shriek, and almost drop the letters in her hands. Yet it was not necessary for her to turn back, because Margaret was smart enough to let her know that it was her; otherwise, Uranus would have flung her across the room.

"Can you believe it?" Margaret exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. Getting blank stares from Uranus, Margaret continued. "She wanted to take a dip in the tub full of cold water!"

"Well, Madge, it must be hot here for her," Uranus assumed that Margaret was talking, of course, about Neptune. Meanwhile, she tried to distract her from seeing the letters, putting hurriedly into her pockets.

"That's not my point!" Margaret was now nearing Uranus's face. _Well, at least I think she didn't see the letters_, Uranus thought to herself. "It's her waist!"

"Well, everyone has waists, Margaret. I don't think I saw any scars on her body or anything, as far as I know," Uranus pondered out loud, remembering the night before, helping her dress. "Although she was rather pale. But you shouldn't worry about that, since Proteus is like that, too."

"Ugh!" Margaret sighed in frustration. "Uranus, did you see how small it was?" Margaret now gestured with her hands, her waist size. Yet seeing that Uranus was still in an impassive state, Margaret directly stated what she has been urgently wanting to release from her mouth. "How is she going to bear a child?"

"Well, for that, you would probably have to wait until they are married, and let them spend the night in the same room…?"

"My goodness, Uranus. For someone who runs quickly, you are awfully thick," Margaret continued. "Don't you understand, that women with small hips have difficulty bearing children? She's already so weak and tiny, and now look at her! She's going to die giving birth! What if the child was only a girl! We're going to end up heirless!" Uranus was now nodding her head, mouthing "oh."

Margaret was placing both her hands on Uranus's waist, causing her to move back, up against the wall.

"What exactly are you doing Margaret?"

"Now, you, on the other hand would probably make a good mother: you've got good strong ones, just like your mother. And see what her children grew up to be! But I suppose that when that happens, the child is going to be fatherless…" Uranus could not imagine herself as being a wife to a man, queen of another planet, but decided to ask why, for her sake. "You'll probably crush the husband dead with such legs as yours!"

Uranus and Margaret both laughed after the last comments: this was what Uranus liked her so much. Although she had a tendency to be worrisome, and fuss over people, that was her sign of affection. From the sign of it, Uranus was sure that by now, Margaret had saved a special place in her heart for Neptune. Uranus also liked Margaret for the fact that she had humor, sometimes that of people of Uranus's age, despite Margaret being in the seventies.

"I think I better leave you along and go check on her," Margaret was starting to walk out the room again. "Just making sure that she's not drowning, although I doubt that." Margaret was now at the door. "Oh, and Uranus," she paused. "I think you look nicer with your hair down—you haven't changed, have you? Easily influenced. Neptune was doting on how _beautiful_ you look when you have your hair down," Margaret gave a wink, then walked briskly out the room.

Bidding farewell to Margaret, Uranus resumed the letter-reading again. This time, she opened the pink envelope, only to reveal a small piece of white perfumed paper: scribbled was the name _Elizabeth_ in the utmost feminine way. Uranus smiled to herself. After brushing her lips against the envelope, she placed the letters carefully in a drawer of a wooden table nearby, after making sure that it was securely locked. Then, she dropped herself on a soft chaise, and commenced the assigned readings from her potion master.

I hope you liked this chapter, too! How was it? Please review! Let me know how the story was, and also let me know about whether the reply thing is working (since I enjoy giving personal appreciations to each reviewers)!


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note: **__Thank you to those who reviewed Chapter 4! I'm trying to reply to each individual replies, because I love replying to one as much as I get one! Anyway, one person pointed out to me that some of my settings are a little bit drastic, but there's reason to everything (and you would have to read to find out how everything ties together in the end, and I think I've mentioned that somewhere)! Well, I'm hoping that you like this chapter too. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Sailor Moon!  
_

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**Unbroken Vow**

By lovelikealoha

Neptune submerged herself under the cold water in the tub, placed in a spacious and elegantly-decorated bathing room, trying to rid all the tensions that built up in her body throughout the day from all the walking. It was as though every pore of her body was squealing in a bliss, as cold water came in contact with her body.

Margaret had left her temporarily, and Neptune was allowing her mind to wander in space. After remembering the letter she received short time before, along with the violin, she reached over the tub to the letter, that Margaret had so kindly placed on top of the towels, placed on a small stool. Carefully opening the navy waxed seal of the blue envelope, Neptune gently pulled out its contents, revealing a letter in an elegant handwriting. Placing the now empty envelope back where it was, she sank back in the tub, and began reading the letter that was addressed to her by her mother, making sure that none of the parts become wet.

_To my dearest daughter,  
Is your stay at Tenousei going well for you? I assume that you have reached their safely. It must have been an exiting journey for you, but do not over-exhaust yourself—rest when you must. You must be surprised that I wrote this letter to you so early, but there were few things I forgot to mention while you were here:  
Do not bother King Prospero more than necessarily. You must not expect him to be like your father, and do not speak to him unless spoken to during the meals.  
I recommend that you keep your things to yourself…if my memory serves me correct, Titania often critiqued my habits of collecting fragrances and such. I assume that her daughter is the same. Do not be disappointed if she does not find likings in what you do. I am sure that you two will get along fine.  
Also, you forgot your sketchbook on your bed; I will be sending you one along with the pallet.  
Once you are well enough, I would like to take you with me to see Queen Phoebe of Dosei. If you meet Margaret, tell her that I wish her well.  
Try not to be a burden to anyone at the castle,  
Your loving mother,  
Naiad  
_

Neptune smiled to herself as she carefully placed the letter back inside the envelope, and placed it away from the cold water. Her mother might have been a little over-protecting sometimes, but Neptune did not mind at all. Rather, it was more comforting to always be able to listen to her voice in her study, hearing her sing, and spending the afternoons together. That was the way she was brought up, and so was her mother, grandmother, and so on—Neptune also wished to keep that tradition, _if_, she ever had a daughter herself.

Three hard knocks on the door brought back her attention, as Margaret entered the door.

"Are you still dipping yourself? Don't you think you have been there long enough?" Margaret sighed as she reached over the towel, waiting for Neptune to step out of the tub. "The temperature is not even that hot today."

"Mother wishes you well," Neptune took the towel from Margaret's hand and put it back on the chair, shaking her head, as a sign that she had no intention of getting out of the water. "I haven't had time to relax in the bath this morning. Won't you allow me to dip myself a little longer?" Neptune stared up at Margaret: apparently, she had given up trying to convince her. She disappeared from the room for a moment, only to come back with a small stool and stitching material.

"You're the one who said it will take long," Margaret commenced her needlework. Neptune leaned over the tub, crossing her arms over the porcelain edge, and placed her chin on the top.

"Margaret?" Neptune asked. Margaret replied 'yes' without lifting her gaze from the stitchery. "Can you tell me something about Queen Titania?"

"Why do you want to know about her all the sudden? Haven't your mother or Oberon or Uranus told you about her?" Neptune shook her head. "It depends. What do you want to know about her?" Margaret stopped, then set the strings and needles aside.

"Well, everything! I've heard her names so many times today. I should know something about her, shouldn't I? All I know about her is what she looks like in a painting…she is so beautiful! I assume that she must have been very well liked. Mother said that she's like Uranus…" Margaret laughed heartily upon hearing it.

"Of course! Like mother like daughter…except for the fact that Titania actually fell for a man. I doubt that Uranus ever will." There was a thing that Margaret was about to mention, regarding Titania's love preferences in relationships, but she thought it best to not mention any to Neptune at that moment.

"Were they good friends? Queen Titania and my mother?"

"Very," Margaret nodded. "In fact, she often traveled to Kaiousei to see your mother. It was Naiad who presented Titania the dresses..."

"But I thought she doesn't wear dresses, if Uranus is supposed to be so like her."

"Oh, but one cannot wear men's clothes when one's carrying a child—they aren't made for such occasions..."

* * *

Neptune had been enjoying the story-telling of Margaret, as to how Titania had been as a queen. However, Margaret had realized that she had chattered long enough, and nearly pulled Neptune out of the tub—thinking it absurd to take a bath in cold water. It was common back in Kaiousei, yet the people of Tenousei did not seem to appreciate the cold water. 

After she was dressed, Margaret had left to do her own business, something about supervising the maids and butlers to make sure they were doing their share of work. Left by herself, Neptune immediately started writing a reply to her mother: to explain to her that she was doing well, and that she was looking forward to seeing Queen Phoebe, who was suppose to be having a baby soon. She decided until the next day to send her the letter in the morning; maybe Uranus can take here there again like earlier today.

Neptune realized that she was feeling surprisingly better than usual. Had she been in back on her own planet, she would have been worn out from all the walking, in addition to being rushed throughout the day. Today, however, she did not feel the need of lying down on the bed, so far. Therefore she decided to polish the Marine Cathedral, one of her favorite leisure pursuit—she would have loved to paint the landscapes of Tenousei from the balcony, but decided to wait until her mother sent her the sketchbook.

Content with her polished-violin, she commenced playing the instrument. Neptune loved the way the low notes vibrated through her body, while the high notes gave her chills that ran down her spine. The music warmed her surroundings, and enabled her to forget her physical presence—just as the music filled the room, she always imagined floating along with the rich melodies of the violin, to other places of the solar systems she had heard stories being told about. Always when she played the violin, her pains and fatigue seemed to disappear for few moments. And always, she would play to imprison the lonely feelings within her heart, of not being able to do the things other princesses would do. Yet today, she was actually on a different planet. Today, there was no sickly tiredness. And today, she could look forward to the day she would be able to do what others can do—imagine herself running in the winds! The Marine Cathedral was perfect for reflecting her moods: uplifting, warm, and cheerful. Just perfect.

When the knock was heard on the door, Neptune froze for a moment. Her mind immediately rushed:_ had she played too long and bothered the other inhabitants of the castle? Did the people of Tenousei appreciate music? If not, would she not be able to play anymore?_ However, it did not take long for her worries to dissipate, since there was Oberon, standing in front of the door, who greeted her with a light kiss on her cheek.

"Play that song for me again," requested Oberon, once he was settled on a divan. Noticing his grim countenance and the low-spirit in his tone of voice, Neptune started to play the song she had been playing before. Oberon closed his eyes to listen, and she continued to play until she observed his features soften a bit.

"What's wrong?" Neptune settled herself next to Oberon, after carefully placing back the instrument in its proper resting place. She looked into his troubled eyes—the same green orbs that caught her attention when she first met him. When she looked into them, she felt as though he could see through her mind, and she into his.

"I have to leave this week with the men to go to Meiousei…I thought that there would be a little more time for me to spend time with you." He gently pulled her towards him in an embrace.

"Is Proteus going with you?" Oberon nodded. "Then won't you be back soon? If my father is not the one who will be going, then I'm sure that he feels it wouldn't take long."

"That's true…supposedly, the enemy isn't so large. So the queen is giving it at most two weeks. But why do you think Queen Pluto would want both of us from Tenousei and Kaiousei to go? Doesn't she usually ask just your planet?"

"She does, but maybe she wanted your army to help, too. Just in case. The more people there are, the battles end faster. Besides, everybody knows that the army of Tenousei is the best in the solar system!" Oberon gave a chuckle at the compliment.

"King Poseidon and Proteus aren't going to be happy when you tell them that. The men on your planet are good fighters, too, if you haven't realized that."

"I do, but mothers says that they're being too soft. That's why they aren't as swift as yours. By the way, will Uranus be going with you?"

"I would rather have her stay with you, because it might get lonely here without anyone except Margaret to keep you company. But she went to ask father whether he would let her go..." Oberon was interrupted by a large slam of the door, coming from outside the room, followed by the sound of braking glass. The two immediately rushed out to the hallway, noticing that the door of Uranus's room was ajar: apparently, the door had not closed properly after being slammed closed too hard. Neptune followed closely behind Oberon, as he entered to see what was the matter.

As she entered, she saw a broken glass cup, shattered on the floor, yet there was no sign of the tall blond woman. She was horrified at the traces left of the scene, assuming that something unfortunate must have happened. On the contrary, however, she heard Oberon sigh and walk over to the bedroom, who knocked on the door before entering. Hearing no reply, he opened the door, motioning Neptune to come in as well.

There by the window, Uranus had her head down on the window sill, her back against the two, as though she collapsed unto it.

"Is she…?" she whispered.

"No, she's alright." Oberon assured her. Then he turned his attention towards his sister. "Uranus, having tantrums doesn't help you solve problems." Hearing no reply from Uranus, Oberon continued. "If you want to become a good fighter, you better start learning how to control your temper."

"I know," a frustrated reply came back, almost in a mumble, as her head was buried in her arms. "But how can I become a good fighter, even if I was able to control my temper, when my father doesn't even allow me to fight at every battle? The only reason why he let me go in the past was because the stupid suitors were supposedly there to protect me. And you know what happened? They all died on the first day and I survived." Her speech was getting more heated as Uranus raised her head. "Don't you think that's enough proof that I can fight as well as any men? Father thinks the only reason why I survived without a single scar is because they died protecting me!"

"Uranus, that's not true…he knows that you fight well. Otherwise, he wouldn't send you..."

"Oh, and the other reason was because you always convinced him somehow. He would listen to you because you're his 'perfect' son. What is there to complain or criticize about you? He would never listen to me just because I'm not what he expects me to be…everyone except him knows I despise the princesses and their dresses and their voices and their foolish, passive way of living life from the bottom of my heart..."

Hearing those words made Neptune's heart ache. _She had been so kind to me yesterday and today_, she thought. _Was she just pretending? Was she forcing herself to be caring? _She knew that there were people in the solar system who did not appreciate the ways the daughters of the royals were brought up, including herself. She had overheard the crowd whispering during the balls, where she would sit silently and pretend not to hear. Yet it stirred her feelings after hearing the words directly from someone's mouth, especially when she thought this person cared…even though Neptune knew that Uranus was not necessarily specifying her. It was then that Uranus finally stood up to turn around, and noticed that Oberon was not the only one standing in her room.

"Neptune..."

"I apologize…I shouldn't have been here. I'll leave right now," Neptune quickly turned around to exit the bedroom. Yet as she walked out the bedroom to the door leading to the halls, she felt tingly sensations and the surroundings twirling around her. She heard someone calling her name in the distant, but could not figure out the source. Just when she thought she reached the handle—unable to control her extremities, her world faded slowly, and turned pitch black.

To be continued…

* * *

_Questions…comments? Please read and review! Let me know what you like about the story or don't like about the story. Critics are welcome, as long as it isn't a list of putdowns! And of course, encouragements are always welcomed! Thank you to the people who reviewed so far!_

_I realize that I'm not keeping up my promises as to the updates…I'm really really sorry! So I'll try me best to update to the best of my abilities! The AP classes are torturing me…so much homework!_


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